Embracing Weaknesses

Young athletes have an incredible ability to cover their weak areas, probably much better than older athletes. But let's see how helpful this actually is for the athlete.

A Broad Foundation for Long-Term Success

Building up a strong athletic foundation is key to a long, exciting, and fulfilling journey in sports. For a young athlete, it's essential to focus on developing a diverse skill set. By diversifying training and exploring various sports and activities, athletes lay the groundwork for future success. Remember, a broad foundation allows athletes to adapt and excel in different sports, even if they differ from their primary focus. 

Embrace Your Weak Spots, Even When They Don't Seem Relevant

We all have weak spots, even young and older champions. It's easy to ignore them if they don't appear to impact performance directly at the moment. However, truly exceptional athletes understand the importance of working on their weaknesses. By addressing these areas early on, athletes will prevent them from becoming roadblocks in the future. It would get harder later when shying away from a weak spot when they appear – athletes want to see them as opportunities for growth!

Multiple Skills for Sport-Specific Performance

Being a good athlete isn't just about excelling in one particular skill. It's about having a well-rounded set of abilities that contribute to overall performance. By honing multiple skills, athletes enhance their agility, coordination, and adaptability. Mastering different aspects of a sport will make athletes stand out at some point. When I went to xc-skiing practice, we did much more than skiing. We did obstacle courses, rope climbing, gymnastics, all sorts of games, running in loops or with uphill focus, stairs training, of course, we went to the gym, and so on. For me, it was almost normal not to ski in xc-skiing practice, at least from spring to fall.

The Power of a Supportive Environment

While being the best at a young age may seem enticing, it's not always the sure path to long-term success. A supportive environment that encourages broad fitness development is far more beneficial than one that is too specific too early. Of course, specific sports ask for specific skills, and those are best learned early on as well, but not exclusively. When young athletes focus solely on dominating their age group, they may neglect other crucial areas of fitness. The oversight of general fitness also comes with risks like injuries and difficulties transitioning to higher levels of competition. So, being surrounded by coaches, mentors, and teammates who value growth as a whole athlete is setting up a wonderful foundation.

Don't Let Early Success Define Your Journey

It doesn't mean that every young athlete who is dominating their age group has a lack of fitness. But if I were a scout for young athletes, I would look at more than a result list. Young athletes who achieve greatness early on often face unique challenges down the road if this success is not built on a solid foundation. When athletes specialize too early and solely focus on dominating one sport, they may struggle to carry that success forward as they compete against "late bloomers" who have a broad spectrum of fitness. It's important to develop a well-rounded skill set that can withstand the test of time. Athletes with a mindset of continuous improvement will also have lots of fun and potential for a long, athletic journey that will flourish.

When a young athlete possesses an incredible ability to work around their weaknesses, it will lead to success, but short-term. By setting a broad foundation, embracing weak spots, and developing multiple skills, they're paving the way for long-term achievements. An athletic career is not just about being the best at a young age – it's about becoming the best an athlete can be throughout an entire athletic career. So, let young athletes do everything to develop their fitness, and let their weaknesses become stepping stones to greatness!

Do you have a Dream? Keep going towards it :)